San Francisco Metblogs » Anna

Ocean Beach & Drivebys

Anna — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:25:47 +0000

Last night I was walking in my t-shirt along Ocean Beach. Man, it’s like Los Angeles. So not much to post here, except that I wish the Fleishhacker Baths were back. The Beach Chalet was packed- and funny tidbit, the Japanese gentleman sitting next to me who really loved the Jack Johnson cover band, asked if it was safe to wait for the 5-Fulton at 10:30PM. “Will there be a driveby shooting?”

North Beach Block Threatened by ADA Suits

Anna — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:15:28 +0000

Chatting with XOX owner Jean-Marc Gorce about how all of the local shops are either closing up or feeling a serious pinch - he laid off 3 workers- because of a rash of ADA suits against them for non-compliance. Written up in June in the Chron, and covered on CBS (though not aired yet), it seems very sad. There’s a slanted step near his doorway that is in question, and he can’t provide a ramp as he can’t touch the sidewalk. North Beach Sushi across the street has the same issue. Their ramp is deemed too steep. I’ve seen the ADA racket threaten businesses in other towns, and they ended up closing. The owner has never gotten a formal complain from a wheelchair-bound person, except for this suit. Every business on the block has issues. It’s sad that we can’t get the city to help mom & pops get in compliance. Anyone from the handicapped community want to chime in on what’s going on? I welcome the viewpoint.

Interesting follow-up articles:
The Price of Access: Part 1: Visionary law’s litigious legacy in the Sacramento Bee
PBS: A Decade With the ADA
ADA Filing Mills: Drive By Lawsuits in the blog OverLawyered

Marin Squeaking By Another Transit Fee Hike

Anna — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:21:58 +0000

So in the Chron today, some relief that the Golden Gate Bridge Congestion tax is off the books. Quoth the Chron: “..congestion-based tolls would hit North Bay commuters hardest. They called it “a Marin commuter tax.” OK, but Marin has never been a team player- let’s remember that Marin didn’t want a BART extension back in ‘61 (well, I don’t remember it personally…). From official BART history, as stated on their site:

With the District-wide tax base thus weakened by the withdrawal of San Mateo County, Marin County was forced to withdraw in early 1962 because its marginal tax base could not adequately absorb its share of BART’s projected cost. Another important factor in Marin’s withdrawal was an engineering controversy over the feasibility of carrying trains across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Kind of hard to believe Marin couldn’t afford BART. Ongoing, in subsequent votes they still nixed public transit: “Since then, Marin voters have rejected rail measures in 1990, 1998 and then 2006.” (from Marin Independent Journal)

Anyone from Marin? Care to respond?

p.s. Tipped off from N-Judah Chronicles the other night on the history of Marin’s lack of fair play in the Bay Area transit game. Congrats on Best of the Bay!

Nina Reiser’s Body Found

Anna — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:47:51 +0000

If you’ve been following the story- Hans Reiser negotiated with the DA and led them to the site where he buried his wife, after strangling her. The whole story here at SF Gate. I’ve been talking to two friends, one who knew Hans and one who knew Nina. “Everyone knew he was an asshole,” re: Hans, and from Nina’s, that it was hard to grieve her death since they hadn’t found the body- and no, nobody believed the escape to Russia story Hans had spun. I was interested that the jury came to a decision on all circumstantial evidence. And what’s up with all these programmers becoming weird murderous criminals? Is it just because there’s so many IT folks in the area, so it’s more likely that said criminal percentage will be programmers, or is there something about borderline OCD personalities that lend themselves to violent physical anger?

Live Painting, Live Fashion

Anna — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:54:31 +0000

This Sunday in the Mission, a designer co-op (the Mission Statement) hosts a block party in the Mission- local businesses show their clothes & beats & breakdancing. Sounds very cool. Beforehand trot over to Fabric8 on 22nd and check out the mural done by Brian Barneclo, and he’s also doing live painting.

Briefly: Sunday, from 3-7PM, The Mission Statement celebrates its opening with their First Annual Fashion Show & Block Party on Lexington Street between 18th and 19th Streets.

Lengthily: It’s a fashion show featuring clothing and jewelry by local designers such as Yugala (formerly of AMS and Saffron), Minnie Wilde, Zoe Bikini, and Honey McMoney (formerly Phobos & Deimos and University of Fuck). There will also be a performance by SFC Double Dutch, spoken word by Anthem Salgado & Kentura, and music by local DJs.

Brian Barneclo has started work on a mural in the fabric8 garden, which will be unveiled during the Brian Barneclo Mural/Painting Party next Sunday, June 22, from 1-5PM.

He will also be painting live a series of interconnected pieces, which will be available for purchase as soon as they’re done. There will be recent works for sale, an art give-away, refreshments, and many more things.

Celebrate Nuptials!

Anna — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:23:49 +0000

Friend & restaurant owner Pamela Busch is having a fundraiser- 10% proceeds going to Equality, CA (eqca.org)- tomorrow from noon to 11PM at her restaurant, Cav Wine Bar. Check out the info on Upcoming.org. If you want to celebrate some very cool legislation and help the upcoming legal battles, stop by for a wine flight, or their mushroom-themed menu. I was there the day marriage was legalized and wow, the energy in the air was amazing. Cav was selected by Michael Bauer as one of the top 100 restaurants - so come by for a tasty nibble and support a cause! Open table is the best way to secure a spot: http://tinyurl.com/68djzk

Free Tix: Obama, McCain Dance-Off

Anna — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:58:29 +0000

Economist & Second City (yes, that comedy group from Canada & Chicago that feeds all of the good comics to SNL), are staging a satire of dancing extremes on 6/26. ~~We have free tix. Just email me.~~ Get your tix here: here and here.

Warning, Satire: Dancing With the Candidates

Anna — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:07:37 +0000

Canada’s Second City & the Economist present, “Dancing with the Candidates,” June 26th. What is it?

“The Art of Political Satire” In an antidote to the grueling political season, the audience will be fully immersed in an evening of engaging improv, a hands-on tutorial in cartooning, and a panel chat on the art of political satire. http://artofsatire.economist.com

Email me if you want to get a pair of free tickets. Check out the clip at artofsatire.econonomist.com and answer this question- what does Bush eventually do to help out McCain’s campaign? anna-at-banane.com, first email I get will receive the tickets!

June 26, 2008; 6:30pm Doors Open; 7:00-8:30pm Event
$20 for general admission; $10 for The Economist subscribers, students
and seniors; Ticket purchases: www.ybca.org/tickets; 415.978.ARTS

This was organized pretty fast- I wonder if Clinton won the nomination, if they’d have her dancing with McCain? Now that’s a nasty thought.

Abandoned Baths: Fleishhaker

Anna — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:21:27 +0000

Neat local history tidbit, found via Eye on the Blogs (subscribe: very good!), photo set of the Fleishhaker Baths, an abandoned (since 1971) baths along Ocean Beach. Now, it’s a squatter haven. My reaction to the photos was- god, that place needs a good ole wipedown. Guerrilla cleaning, vs. guerrilla gardening?

I’m not too clear on the location. Either are other people, this Amazon review of a book of beaches (strangely, by a former professor of mine) Lencek - and co-author Bosker- mistakenly place the bathhouse in Oakland somewhere. Anybody visited it and know a more precise location?

Doing Touristy Things: Afternoon in North Beach

Anna — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:25:16 +0000

This is a series, see: Coit Tower, St.Francis Elevators, Chinatown
Note: make sure to have a hangover and/or huge appetite before heading out.

Breakfast/brunch at Cafe Divine (Union & Stockton)- get seated at the sidewalk tables, and, with mimosa in hand, watch people in the park. I’d recommend the fruit bowl w/ granola or the poached eggs. Divine doesn’t have a huge menu but the ingredients are top notch. OR hit La Boulange (Columbus, Green) for a pastry and a bowl of cafe au lait. Describe how the park used to be the common for the neighborhood- the patch of ground where you could garden or keep livestock. Mention the falsehood that DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe at the church- actually just photographed in front of it.

Get a post-breakfast gelato at Naia on Columbus or the gelato place up Union St. Pavel’s yogurt is great, as well as Nutella flavor. Sit in the park and watch people.

Walk down Columbus to Molinaris’ (at Vallejo) and get the very affordable North Beach Special sandwich: layer upon layer of mortadella. Or, just sample the $1 finger-size fennel sausages.

Stop at Stella’s Bakery (Columbus near Vallejo) or Victoria Bakery (Stockton & Vallejo) and buy some pignolas, apricot tart, or almond cookies. Get cappuccino #1. Sit outside and watch people.

A little downtime browsing titles at City Lights (Columbus & Broadway): note, bee-line for the Staff Favorites shelf near the magazines.

Get cappuccino #2 at Caffe Trieste (Grant & Vallejo). Sit outside, watch people, and chat with regulars.

At this point your guests may want to leave and sample another neighborhood- but you could stay here and eat dinner and get a drink, which is another post in itself. If they’re feeling over-caffeinated and full, tell them to hike up to Coit Tower, you’ll meet them at FilmYard (Grant & Stockton) afterwards, or sitting outside Caffe Puccini (Columbus & Vallejo) sipping cappuccino #3.

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